The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-31
1NDIANA'S ARTILLERY FORCE
dow 1t Was Organized and Its Brilliant
Work on the Field Of Battle.
Capt. Frybarger's Battery the Only One in the
State at the Outbreak of the War
How Others We're Formed.

At the outbreak OF the civil war there was not
only no artillery force in Indiana, but no nucleus
about which might be collected, and from
which might be derived some suggestion of the
drill and discipline necessary to give it military
form. In a few of the larger towns and a rarer
small one brass iron six FOUNDER. borrowed
of the national government under bond for safe
keeping and return, could be found, to jolfy
Christmas and the Fourth of july and occasion
ally political meeting, with its uproar,
but in a military aspect it was merely big fire.
cracker. and given as little consideration except
when careless handling tore off an arm for some
of the reckless firing squad. as happened pretty
frequently. Militia infantry, and even cavalry
where horses plenty. are readily organized
and held together for parade occasions, but ar
hllery is very different thing 1t needs
special arms, equipments, ammunition, drill.
and drill OF horses and methods of handling
equally unlike the more familiar forms of in
fantry or mounted troops. So it came that
there no battery or half battery in In
diana in the spring OF 1861, nor for some months
later The nearest approach to one was in Con-
hersvIlle, where Captain, afterwards Colonel w.
w. Frybarger had held together for some years.
by his interest and energy, an effective company
with two guns. obtained from the govern
ment and useless worse. and one bought by
himself There may have been two three
half-organized companies at other points to do
the holiday and political powwow thunder but
nothing was known of them beyond the locali-
ties where they kept thek guns.
The first artillery company rendered to Gov.
Morton was Captain Frybargers. Immediately
after the call for three months troops. The
State had no authority to accept any but infantry
volunteers and these overran the quota in four
days after the issue of the call of the executive
enforcing the Presidents call of the 18th of April,
1861. In seven days three times the quota had
been rendered the Governor and by him ten
dered to the national government. How much
or little this food of volunteer infantry had to
do with the delay of the national government
in authorizing the acceptance of cavalry and
artillery forces, can not be guessed now, but it
probably had some influence in determining
line Of policy that many prudent men thought
at that time was short-sighted, and that events
soon proved to be SO. 1t was not till the defeat
Of Bull Run showed even the stolid conservatism
of Simon Cameron-the Secretary of War, who
thought Sherman crazy for wanting 200, 900 men
for the war in the Mississippi valley. and stoutly
contended, at Gov. Morton's residence, in the
fall of 81, that the old smooth bore musket was
q better weapon than the long range rifle-how
pensable to it's prosecution other arms than the
guns and bayonets of infantry must be, that
the States were given authority to accept for
the national government mounted troops and
artillery
Before that authority came Gov. Morton had
determined to make such preparation he
could of other than infantry forces, as to be
ready for any emergency. With this view he
called Capt Frybarger to the State capital about
the middle of June 20 organize and drill such
artillery companies might be formed in antici
patton of call for them sometime. To this work
the latter gave nearly two months of his time
in the summer of '6l, leaving his own company
with little to do and little hope of anything
better till the 5th of August. Then the Cover
nor received authority from Washington to ac
cept artillery and cavalry troops, and Captain
Frybarger at once gathered up his company, re-
organized it, had 1t mustered into the national
service Aug "a, 61, as tho Third Indiana Battery.
And thus began his military service under the
national government.
Capt Martin Klauss's company, at Evans
ville had been formed early in the light with
view to defense against Kentucky rebels who
were q good deal more numerous and audacious
down that way than further up the river, and
far stronger than the Union men. Its partial
organization gave it the start. and under the au-
ihorization of Aug s. 81, it mustered in
to service Aug. l6. The Second Battery,
Capt. David G. Rabb. authorized at the same
time, was mustered in week earlier it was
in indianapolis, where a mastering officer was
always handy. 1t was largely or mainly formed
in Rising Sun. The Third Battery, Capt Fry
barger's, received its authorization Aug.
5 with the other two. and was mustered in
Az Grot fhroo hat
teries in the field From the time of the ar
rival in Indianapolis and the muster in" of the
Third Battery. Capt Frybarger was given by
Governor Morton the command of the whole
force, and by him they were drilled so assiduous-
~ and effectively than when ordered to the front
under Fremont, in Missouri, they made as order
lv and creditable display of proficiency as
many a company of regulars. The men were
intelligent and Jealous and eager to learn, and
naturally they advanced with phenomenal
rapidity compared with compulsory improve
ment of regular troops
Captain William Walton Frybarger. as the first
organizer of the States artillery forces and their
first and most effective drill-master. merits a
word of personal notice in this connection. He
Ia q native Hoosier. born in Fayette county. in
1923. and until he entered the army, in 81, fol-
lowed his father in the mercantile business A
Itrong natural taste for mathematics in which
he almost wholly self taught, sometimes
took him into experiments of surveying, which
he conducted successfully as a professional
while still in his teens and at the same time
his taste for gunpowder experiments came out
equally strong. Some of his attempts to make
rockets and others of the rarer qualities Of
military munitions came blowing his eyes
out once or twice, but he puciily kept on until
he could make good rockets as any body with
his material Later he formed the artillery COM
pany which went with him into the civil war
When the three batteries placed under his COM
mand by Governor Morton reached ST. Louis
where he was to report to General Fremont early
In September. 6l, he ma de fine an OK Exhibition of
their drill and discipline, and of the superior
quality of the horses. that the streets of St
Louis were crowded near headquarters with ad-